CAROL LINK: Landscape gets touched up before Thanksgiving arrives

By Carol LinkTimes Columnist

Published: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 at 6:46 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 at 6:48 p.m.

Happy Thanksgiving! As I write this column, the weather is lovely and the woodlands adjoining our home resemble a 1970s shag carpet constructed of short and long (or high and low) strands of sap green, and a mixture of yellow, gold and orange threads.

By the time this column is published, our home, and yours, probably will be permeated with the wonderful aroma of turkey, ham, dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans, homemade yeast rolls, pumpkin pie, and on and on and on ... I hope all of you have a blessed, fun-filled, family oriented, flavorful day.

Definitely, our back lawn looks better than a few weeks ago after the digging up of old field lines, and the installation of new ones. After the construction crew departed, our backyard was a mess. Oscar and I worked together, off and on, for a couple of weeks, raking and picking up rocks and gravel from the soil; loading the material in a trailer; hauling off and dumping the debris; removing old clumps of grass and covering the area with fresh topsoil; leveling the soil; sowing fescue grass seed; covering the area with hay; and watering, watering, watering. New grass has begun to sprout, and by next spring, our backyard should be in good condition.

Our home is situated on a hill of chert covered with a few inches of woodland soil. We developed all of our planting beds by hauling in soil from the woods; using homemade compost; and adding horse, cow, chicken and worm manure, in addition to every kind of commercial product available at local garden centers. Each year, we incorporate more of the materials listed above in our planting beds, and each year the soil gets better and better.

Recently, I’ve been trimming crape myrtles, removing limbs from the row of trees that infringe upon our long driveway. In addition, we’ve planted several new shrubs, relocated a few existing shrubs and removed dried and dead perennial foliage, adding the material to our compost piles.

In September and October, I dug up several native oakleaf hydrangeas and sweet shrubs, potted the plants and hauled the shrubs to the Etowah County Master Gardener greenhouses to sell at our annual greenhouse sale next April.

I potted the shrubs using containers of compost from our own compost piles — black, crumbly, textured, nutritious soil, the kind of soil in which the shrubs grew initially.

In preparation for today, in anticipation of nice weather, I’ve been pulling weeds and picking up sticks and broken tree limbs from the landscape, and Oscar has been clearing the lawn and driveway of leaves and debris — just in case the grandkids are able to go outside to run and play and enjoy the companionship of their cousins.

Again, Happy Thanksgiving Day! After dinner, as you loosen your belt, remember to give thanks for your many blessings and to praise God from whom all your blessings flow.

Carol (Bonnie) Link is an Etowah County Master Gardener and an experienced garden writer. Her weekly column is designed to help and encourage others in their gardening endeavors. Send questions or comments to clink43@bellsouth.net.

<p>Happy Thanksgiving! As I write this column, the weather is lovely and the woodlands adjoining our home resemble a 1970s shag carpet constructed of short and long (or high and low) strands of sap green, and a mixture of yellow, gold and orange threads. </p><p>By the time this column is published, our home, and yours, probably will be permeated with the wonderful aroma of turkey, ham, dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes, green beans, homemade yeast rolls, pumpkin pie, and on and on and on ... I hope all of you have a blessed, fun-filled, family oriented, flavorful day.</p><p>Definitely, our back lawn looks better than a few weeks ago after the digging up of old field lines, and the installation of new ones. After the construction crew departed, our backyard was a mess. Oscar and I worked together, off and on, for a couple of weeks, raking and picking up rocks and gravel from the soil; loading the material in a trailer; hauling off and dumping the debris; removing old clumps of grass and covering the area with fresh topsoil; leveling the soil; sowing fescue grass seed; covering the area with hay; and watering, watering, watering. New grass has begun to sprout, and by next spring, our backyard should be in good condition.</p><p>Our home is situated on a hill of chert covered with a few inches of woodland soil. We developed all of our planting beds by hauling in soil from the woods; using homemade compost; and adding horse, cow, chicken and worm manure, in addition to every kind of commercial product available at local garden centers. Each year, we incorporate more of the materials listed above in our planting beds, and each year the soil gets better and better.</p><p>Recently, I've been trimming crape myrtles, removing limbs from the row of trees that infringe upon our long driveway. In addition, we've planted several new shrubs, relocated a few existing shrubs and removed dried and dead perennial foliage, adding the material to our compost piles.</p><p>In September and October, I dug up several native oakleaf hydrangeas and sweet shrubs, potted the plants and hauled the shrubs to the Etowah County Master Gardener greenhouses to sell at our annual greenhouse sale next April. </p><p>I potted the shrubs using containers of compost from our own compost piles — black, crumbly, textured, nutritious soil, the kind of soil in which the shrubs grew initially.</p><p>In preparation for today, in anticipation of nice weather, I've been pulling weeds and picking up sticks and broken tree limbs from the landscape, and Oscar has been clearing the lawn and driveway of leaves and debris — just in case the grandkids are able to go outside to run and play and enjoy the companionship of their cousins.</p><p>Again, Happy Thanksgiving Day! After dinner, as you loosen your belt, remember to give thanks for your many blessings and to praise God from whom all your blessings flow.</p>
<p class="italic font120">Carol (Bonnie) Link is an Etowah County Master Gardener and an experienced garden writer. Her weekly column is designed to help and encourage others in their gardening endeavors. Send questions or comments to clink43@bellsouth.net.</p>